Automatic stoking fuenace



(No Model.) a sheets-sheet I.. y

I.v BOWE.

:AUTOMATIC STOKING- PURNAGB.

QNO. 532,759. Patented Jan. 22, 1895.

Inu/encor.' @apa/LQ @my (No Model.; s sheets-sheetz I. BOWE. AUTOMATIC STOKING' ,FURNAGR (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet.

1. BOWE. Y y AUIOILIA'IIG STOKING PURNAGE.

Patented Jan. 22, 1895.

i Il

'l HI ll Irl `2'5 my invention.

f UNITED STATES:

PATENT FFICE.V d

` ISAAC BownfoFonIoAeo, ILLINOIS.

AuToMAT|osToK|NG FURNACE.

SECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 532,759,dated January 22,1895. Appnauon nea April 5, 1 B94. serai no. 606,515. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC BOWE, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented Vcertain new and useful Improvements in Automatic-Stoking Furnaces,

of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,l reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which'corresponding let- Io ters of referencein' the different figures indicate like parts. i

The object of my invention is to provide a /furnace to which the fuel may be fed automatically and in such manner as to be unit 5 formly and evenly distributedover the grate surface. v

To this end, my invention consists in certain novel features relating to the construction of the grate itself as well as in the meansi 2o provided forfeeding the fuel thereto-all of which is .hereinafter more specifically de'- scribedand designated in the claims.

In they drawings Figure 1, is a front elevation of a furnace embodying the features of Fig. 2, is plan view of aportion thereof. Fig. 3, is a side view of the parts shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4, is a plan view of the grate and the mechanism foroperating the same. A Fig. 5, is a longitudinal sectional viewy 3o vtaken upon the line 5 5, Fig. 4. Figa'G, is a plan view showing a modification of the feeding mechanism. Fig. 7, is a sectional detail view taken upon the line 7-7, Fig. 6. Fig. 8, is a face view in detail'showing my im- 3 5 proved means for tilting-the grate-bars. Fig. 9, is a plan view in detail for still further modiiicatiomof the feeding mechanism, and Fig. 10, is a side view of the same in section, taken upon the line 8 8, Fig.y 9.

Referring to the drawings, a represents the frame or casing of the furnace over which is placed the usual boiler b, Figs. 1, 2, and '5. The furnace is preferably extended forward beyond the front of the boiler as more clearly shown in Fig. 5, in order that thefuel may be uniformlyfed from the outside to the middle of the grate surface.

The grate, which is located at the forward end of the boiler, as is usual in boiler fur- 5o naces, consists of an annular ring c, which is mounted upon and supported by a series of rollers el secured inadjustable brackets e, Fig.

` warping'of the furnace walls.

"tion upon the rollers.

i or rigidly secured to an annular supporting ring f set in the brick-work which forms the furnace setting. By means o f wedges e3 placed above the arms e2 as shown, the brackets e may be raised or lowered as desired-Which enables the ring cto be accurately leveled.

The brackets may then be firmly secured in place by means of set-screws c4 .The supporting ring f constitutes an important feature of my invention inasmuch as it enables the grate to be kept in its proper position regardless of the uneven settling or It is made in sections rigidlyv attached to each other, and is provided with one or more flanges f2 which are set in the masonry thereby being protected from heat. These fianges serve to sustain the ring in position and' impart lateral strength thereto. The ring, moreover, built thus into the wall, prevents they latter fro warping 0r settling unevenly.

The ring c is free to revolve upon thel roller bearings and the bottom thereof is beveled as indicated, in order to maintain itsposi- Within the' ring c'is formed a series of horizontal openingsffor the reception of the ends g'of the grate-bars hm The ends or extensions of the bars are smaller in cross-section than the bars themselves, so that shoulders are formed upon the latter in such a manner as Ito permit of an endwise movement of the bars, while at the Sametime the movement is limited in extent. The openings fare also of sufficient depth to permit the bars to be raised and lowered for the purpose hereinafter set forth.

The outer circumference of the ring c is provided with teeth d which are adapted to be engaged by a Worm gear j upon ashaft 7c, Figs. l, 4, 5 and '7, which is mounted in suitable bearings upon the casing as shown, and is provided with a sprocket wheel uponv the end which is connected by means of a sprocket-chainl to a suitable source `of power. The rotation of the shaft 7c serves to rotate the grate continuously." f

Rigidly attached to the casing a. is a bracket m, Figs. 1, 2 and 4 in a slotin which is loosely secured a sliding bearing block IOO which is held in la normal position by means of a spiral spring n indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4. The bearing-block m, which is notshown, serves as a support forarollero which is adapted to bear against the protruding ends of the grate-bars as clearly shown in Fig. 4, and to push them in one by one as they are brought in contact with it by the rotation of the grate,thus serving to loosen the ashes and cause them to drop into the ash-pit. Should the grate-bar fail to slide upon its first contact with the roller o the spring n permits the roller to yield until the bar is brought into more complete alignment with the axis of the roller when the spring, by reason of its more direct action, overcomes the friction of the bar and causes the latter to slide back suddenly, which serves to free the ashes therefrom more completely.

Should the sliding action of the bars prove insufficient to clear the grate surface, l have provided the following means for automatically tilting the bars: Iivoted to the casing at jp, Figs. l and S, is a bar q to which is secured upon a horizontal axis a roller q' which is adapted to engage with and lift the projecting end of the grate-bars as the ring is rotated. The opposite end of the bar q is arranged to rest upon a spring fr having a setsereW beneath it for the purpose of adjusting its tension. The tendency of this device is to tilt each bar suddenly as it passes over the roller and thereby aid in keeping the grate clear.

Above the grate is located ahopper shaped ring s, Figs. 4 and 5, which is preferably made in sections as indicated to prevent warping and permit of replacement, and which serves to direct the fuel upon the grate as well as to prevent the ring c from becoming overheated.

Having described the construction of and means for operating my improved grate, I will now describe my improved automatic mechanism for feeding the fuel thereto.

Located upon the casing above the furnace and in front of the boiler, is a hopper t, Figs. l, 2, 3 and 5, which is wider at the left than at the right-hand side in order to hold a quantity of fuel proportionate to the varying feed. Beneath the hopper is preferably arranged a series of feeding plungers #t2 3 which,when reciprocated,serve to push the fuel outthrough openings at the rear of the hopper upon a trap door u which is secured to a roclcshaft u mounted in suitable bearings as shown. A counterpoise weight U3 serves to balance the v trap-door and return it to its normal position.

Mounted in bearings upon the front ofthe casing is a rock-shaft c provided with an arm o which is connected by means of a pitman u2 to a crank-pin upon a gear wheel w, which meshes into a pinion upon the shaft 7a It will thus be seen that by virtue of the rotation of the shaft 7o the shaft t: is continuallyT rocked through the action of the mechanism described.

Rigidly attached to the rock-shaft fr are arms c3, to which is secured aeonnecting-rod i n4 with which each of the plungers t' t2 t3 is connected by means of bars t5. Each of the bars t5 is bent downwardly at its outer end as shown at t, Fi g. 5, so as to engage with the rod fu". A clamp t7 is adj ustably secured to each of the bai-S115. By means of this arrangement the forward movement of the feeding plungers may be varied and adjusted to any desired extent, the vibration of the arms 'U5 being constant.

In Fig. 2 I have shown the feeding plungers as occupying different relative positions, that to the left indicating the maximum, and that to the right indicating the minimum movement. A sliding bar c5 is pivotally attached to the rod @4 and extended forward in operative proximity to a stud u2 which is rigidly attached to the rod u upon which the trap door is pivoted. A shoulder e6 upon the bar o5 is adapted to engage With the stud u2 and tilt the trap door as indicated in Fig. 3 when the bar v is carried forward to its full limit, thus discharging the fuel which is thrust forward upon the trap-door into the furnace. The length of the trapfdoor is equal to about half the diameter of the grate; and is so arrangedA that when the fuel is discharged therefrom it falls in aline extending from the center of the grate to the outer edge-the changes being delivered in the same order from the smallest to the largest. As the grate is being constantly rotated by the wormj it `follows that each charge of fuel is dropped upon a fully ignited fire and not upon fresh fuel. Moreover, the charges being graduated from the center' of the grate outwardly it follows that a uniform depth of fuel must be constantly maintained and hence that a uniform fire may he constantly secured. In order that the feed may be adj usted to vary the aggregate amount of fuel fed within a given time, I provide a slot 'v7 in the arm n and adjust the wrist-pin fus therein by means ofsuitable lock-nuts so as to change its distance to any desired extent from the rod fu. By this means the rod U may be tilted to a greater or less extent according to the amount of fuel desired to be fed to the furnace.

In lieu of the reciprocating plungers, it is obvious that the rock shaft and the adjustable sliding bars t5 may be employed to actuate a series of rotary buckets or a series of worm conveyers so as to feed the fuel uniformly upon the grate surface.

In Figs. 6 and 7, a seriesof rotary buckets x is shown mounted upon an axis at the bottom of the hopper. Each bucket is arranged to rotate independently of its fellow, by means of ratchet-wheels secured to cach bucket and in operative connection with pawls as shown, which are in turn connected with the bars t5. The buckets are divided into compartments, and the extent to which the bar t5 is permitted to move determines the size of the charge delivered thereby.

In Figs. 9 and 10, I have shown spiral c011- IIO veyers y u'pon the shafts of which are mounted ratchet-wheels which are operated by means of pawls in connection with the bars 155 said' dial lines from thosedeposited during the V.preceding revolution so that the distribution will be uniform instead of being in radial ridges. This result is accomplished by so apportioning the teeth in the respective gears that one is not divisible by. the other.

By actuating a single grate-bar at a time it is obvious that much less power is required than for shaking the entire grate. The fecding mechanism also is adapted to be actuated by a minimum expenditure of power.

lMy improved furnace is adapted to the use of coal as well as shavings, saw-dust orother kinds of finely divided fuel. By its use the fuel may be uniformly fed at all times, the formation of smoke may be effectually prevented, and auniform incandescent re may at all times be maintained throughout the entire grate surface. Having thus described my claim-v 1. The combination with a furnace vof a rotary grate, means for actuating the lsame, a fuel feeding magazine in operative proximity to an opening above the grate, a series of ininvention, Iv

dependent fuel measuring and discharging i receptacles arranged in said magazine, a rockcles of varying capacity arranged in said magazine, a rock-shaft in operative connection with a source of power, means for actuating the same at regular intervals and means for independently and detachabl y connecting said measuring receptacles with said rockshaft, whereby one or more may be actuated at the will of the operator, substantially as described.

3. Thevcombination with afurnace of a rotary grate, means for actuatingy the same, a fuel magazine in operative proximity to an opening above the grate, a series of independent fuel measuring and discharging re- .ceptacles arranged'in said magazine, a rockshaft in operative connection with a source of power for actuating the same at regular intervals, means for independentlyconnecting said measuring receptacles with said roekshaft and means for adjusting said respective connections to vary the extent of, move'- ment thereof, .substantiallyas described.

4. The combination .with a furnace having a rotary grate'of a fuel magazine, a series of fuel discharging devices in operative connection therewith, a rock-shaft, means for actuating thefsame, bar o4 in operative connection with said rock-shaft and the connecting bars t5 having adjusting clamps t7 thereon, substantially as described.

5. `Thev combination in a self feeding furnace, of a magazine, a series of fuel discharging devices inoperative connection therewith, a rock-shaft connected with said fuel discharging devices, a source of power, and an adjustable connection between the same and said rock-shaft for varying the extent of movement of the latter, whereby all the charges may be increased or diminished, substantially as described. o

6. The combination in a self feeding furnace of a magazine, a series of fuel discharging devices, a counterpoised trap door for re.- ceiving the fuel charges, a rock-shaft connected with said fuel discharging devices, a source of power for periodically tilting said rock-shaft, and a tripping device interposed between said rock-shaft and said trap-door, substantially` as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 23d day of March, 1894.

rsAAc sown.

l Witnesses:

D. H. FLETCHER, A.v C. MARTIN. 

